Piranha Games, known for the free-to-play MechWarrior Online, has just announced MechWarrior 5: Merceneries. The first thing I noticed is that they revived the Merceneries subtitle, used twice before with expansion packs to MechWarrior 2 and MechWarrior 4. The second thing I noticed is that it now runs on Unreal Engine 4, despite MechWarrior Online being based on CryEngine.

The third thing I noticed is that, while it’s a bit of a meme to start MechWarrior things with the mech powering up, the video actually begins with the pilot on foot, walking through the hangar. I’m wondering whether this will be expanded upon in the gameplay or narrative. I don’t really see how it could work, but it seems like a fair amount of effort for no real intent. Yes, I’ve played MechAssault 2, but it seems highly unlikely that anything like that will happen.

MechWarrior 5 takes place in 3015, which means that it will have a very small subset of the weapons and equipment that you would see in, say, MechWarrior 3 (~3060) and MechWarrior 4 (~3063). There probably will not be ER weapons, pulse lasers, gauss rifles, ECM, LBX autocannons, or anything like that. I would be surprised to see anything more than standard lasers, PPCs, short-range missiles, long-range missiles, machine guns, and standard autocannons. It will be an interesting change of pace.

MechWarrior 5 also might be single-player only. The teaser site seems to suggest that MechWarrior Online will continue to be updated, which I interpret to mean that it will be its multiplayer companion.

BattleTech is coming back baby! Harebrained Schemes who have successfully rebooted the Shadowrun RPG system on PC and who are in the final steps of releasing the third game in that world have just announced plans to start a new Kickstarter campaign. This time it will be a trip to the world of Battletech, the details are slim but we can expect to see both the larger view of the Battletech galaxy and the Houses that populate it as well as mech management and combat. From what Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN were told this will be turn-based, not the FPS style of the Mechwarrior series of old. No matter, this news is still exciting so keep your eyes peeled for more information.

"Harebrained Schemes is pleased to announce their return to Kickstarter this Fall to partner with backers in co-funding the creation of BATTLETECH. Jordan Weisman, the creator of BattleTech and MechWarrior, is back with the first turn-based BattleTech game for PC in over two decades."

The interesting dilemma about designing a free-to-play game is that you want players to continue playing, else the creek runs dry. It has been nearly a year-and-a-half since the open beta of Mechwarrior Online in October, 2012. The latest patch, released last week, adds a DirectX 11 rendering engine to the game. While specific details are scarce, this will allow MSAA to be applied.

In terms of content, two new mechs have been added to the game: BNC-LM Banshee "La Malinche", and CTF-3D Cataphract. The former is an assault mech with a fairly balanced loadout, allowing for energy, ballistic, and missile weapons with double heatsinks, while the latter is a heavy mech with a focus on energy weapons with one ballistic slot for variety. Jump Jets are also tweaked for reduced mobility and incentive to add more than just one.

PC Gamer spoke with the developer and got a little extra information on future patches. First, a new matchmaking architecture is expected to launch in April. They claim it will be a complete overhaul of the whole system. They also expect 3D Vision, "proper" SLi, and TXAA will make appearances in the next couple of patches -- but don't quote them on it (oh, whoops!)

PC Gamer got their hands on a new preview of Mechwarrior Tactics, the soon to be released free to play online game. The beginning clearly shows the turn based nature of the game, especially when there is an overlay of hexes on the map, a necessity if they want to provide an experience close to the tabletop game which it has evolved from. Once the action starts you can see Jump Jets in action as well as several LRM attacks, all nicely animated. Fans are anxiously awaiting the release of this game, to see if it truly remains free to play as well as to see if the game is actually enjoyable.

Though not a single player game in any sense of the word, MechWarrior has finally come back to the PC in the form of a free to play online game. Think of it as a large Solaris VII Arena where two teams of 12 mechs compete for domination. You don't have to restrict yourself to assault mechs either, as effective scouting with smaller mechs will net you the same experience awards as blowing the leg off of an opposing mech. For those who want a more persistent experience you can join a mercenary company or if you prefer to just jump into battle like Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN had the chance to do then jump into a cockpit and lay waste to your enemies in the newest implementation of the Crytek 3 engine.

"It’s been ten years since the last MechWarrior game. Which seems odd, since the idea of stomping around in giant robots is such a popular one. But now the license has been put in the hands of Piranha Games, and it’s going online, and MechWarrior Online is going free to play. I saw it in action at GDC, so read on for my report."

The mech combat genre has been mostly forgotten if you exclude the arcade-style and completely not-the-same-niche Mechassault or Gundam titles. While the occasional title does exist, the itch has not been scratched for fans of Mechwarrior. You could check out Mechwarrior: Living Legends because the PC platform is awesome -- but there is also a commercial war a brewing out of the blue between Hawken and Mechwarrior Online.

Hawken is an Unreal Engine 3-powered Free-to-Play mech combat title. From its promotional material it appears to be paced slightly quicker than a Mechwarrior game. The universe is not based on a preexisting franchise. Closed beta signups are occurring now and the full game should be released on December 12th.

Mechwarrior Online is another Free-to-Play mech combat title based on CryEngine 3. When the game is launched sometime this year, the universe will launch as that date in 3049. The game calendar will then be synchronized to our calendar for its lifespan. Speculation claims that the voice-over artist for the mech startup sequence is Carole Ruggier known for voice of Athena in the God of War franchise -- oh and she played the voice of the mech startup sequence in Mechwarrior 2 back in 1995. I have not been able to confirm these rumors but if they are true: they certainly nod to the fans.

Which are you most excited for? Hawken? Mechwarrior Online? Or are you going to stick with the perpetually free Mechwarrior Living Legends? Discuss away.

If you were a long-time PC gamer it is quite possible that some revision of Mechwarrior was installed to your C-drive at some point. If you are me, you likely had multiple of them. While the web of who owns what part of Mechwarrior and its larger Battletech universe is complicated to say the least, Smith and Tinker owns what Microsoft formerly acquired from FASA and is using it to make a new Mechwarrior game exclusively for the PC.

A ComStar faction should be an amusingly terrible idea.

Image from Piranha Games

The original announcement for Mechwarrior Online was quite different than where we are today. Mechwarrior Online, then called Mechwarrior, was scheduled for release on the Xbox 360 and Windows PC as a full retail game. That decision has since been overturned: Xbox 360 support has been dropped and the game is slated as a Free-To-Play PC release. Constant DLC is planned but free for players. The time-frame has also been shifted from 3015 to 3049 with each real day translating to a full day in game. You will also be able to select your Inner Sphere House when you launch and control over each planet is persistent. Like all free-to-play games, the ultimate question is how they plan to encourage their players to make small purchases leading to how successful the game will be when it is launched sometime in 2012.